Favourites China yesterday reached their 14th consecutive Sudirman Cup final in Vantaa, Finland.
After carving out a 3-2 win over Denmark in the quarter-finals on Friday, the defending champions turned the heat up at the Energia Areena to score a superb 3-0 win over four-time winners South Korea in the last-four stage.
China, the 11-time champions, opened the floodgates through Tokyo Olympic mixed doubles champions Wang Yi Lyu-Huang Dongping, who made easy work of scratch pair Seo Seung Jae-Shin Seung Chan 21-14, 21-15 in the first match.
Former All England champion Shin Yuqi, who lost in two of his previous matches against Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn (group stage) and Denmark's Viktor Axelsen (quarter-finals), made amends by putting China 2-0 ahead, when he saw off former world junior champion Heo Kwang Hee 17-21, 21-9, 21-11.
"I know I lost in two of my previous matches, but this is a team event and anything can happen," Yuqi told bwfbadminton.com.
"Heo (Kwang Hee) is not a new player. He was a former world junior champion. It means a lot for me to deliver a point as it will motivate the player after me to score the winning point," added the world No 10, who has not been in the best lately.
Just as Yuqi had predicted, his win did change the wind of the China camp.
Tokyo Olympic women's singles champion Chen Yu Fei, who took to court next, found herself in a tricky situation when she lost the first game, but quickly found her rhythm to close the tie 14-21, 21-15, 21-15 against youngster An Se Young.
China, who are without former Olympic champion Chen Long and Tokyo Games silver medallists Li Jun Hui-Liu Yu Chen, will play either Japan or Malaysia in the final today.